The Thinkening Blog

The venerable Foxit PDF Reader has updated to version 5! It sports a new interface and updated looks. Depending on where you download the new version from, it also sports a force-fed toolbar that can be considered intrusive and unneccessary.

If you download the installation package from CNet, as you proceed through the installation process, you come to a window that asks if you'd like to make Ask the default search provider. It also asks if you'd like to set Ask's website as the homepage. These boxes are pre-checked, and this alone is obnoxious enough, but there's more!

The option to install the toolbar isn't actually an option! You're told that if you click the 'Next' button, you agree to install the PDF Creator Toolbar powered by Ask. If you click the 'Cancel' button, it cancels the installation of Foxit Reader altogether. So you either install the toolbar or you don't install anything with this particular software package. Here is what that window looks like:

There is hope though!

Here's how to get the new version of Foxit PDF Reader without the toolbar:

If the link above doesn't work, you can download the package directly from Dropbox: CLICK HERE

This install package will allow you to upgrade to the Foxit PDF Reader without having to install the toolbar, and without asking to change your search provider and your homepage. This is a much friendlier version of the install package and more respectful of the individual user's wishes.

*Note: Downloading and installing the program directly from Foxit's website will give you an installer that has three checkboxes, one of which allows you to opt out of the toolbar: CLICK HERE

As a side note, one reason I choose Foxit PDF Reader over Adobe's reader is because it seems like Adobe likes to update every couple of days. Foxit PDF Reader is set to check for updates once a week by default, but that behavior can be changed.

Simply click the 'Tools' menu, then click 'Preferences'. You'll see a list of options on the left-hand side of the 'Preferences' menu. Click 'Updater' at the bottom of that list, and choose the option that says 'Do not update automatically'. Here is a screen shot showing what that looks like:

The above settings changes should alleviate some of the annoyances with the new version of the excellent alternative PDF reader. Please let me know if you have any questions on any of the above information in the comments, or by contacting me.